Throughout my stay in the States, I’ve had countless Americans come up to me and say I don’t “sound Australian”. After being polite for the first 100 commenters, I’ve now reverted to stating “I’m using my polite voice.” Done, conversation over, thank Christ. And thank you, to the one person over the last six months that guessed correctly my country based on the way I talk. I feel validated.
I had lunch with an Australian today and apparently I said “poker game” in a very American way – he asked if I was loosing my accent. What are you supposed to say to that? Yes, I’m un-Australian. Sandpaper off my Southern Cross tattoo and feed me to McDonald’s meat patty maker cause I’m loosing my Aussie accent y’all!
They’re over-rated and I’m sure if you spend more than a year in one country, you’d pick up things too.
I am, and always will be Australian, regardless of the way I pronounce things.
Note: My awesome cousin-in-law came up with a theory that empathetic people absorb accents more readily than those that have personalities set in stone. I’m sticking with that. I just adapt to change, that’s all. Unless I’m on the phone to my sister, then I sound like a bogan. “Awh yah, miss you heaps too.”
Amy – You know how couples that have been together for a really long time start to look like each other? I read a book that stated that after staring at another person’s expressions for a period of years, you eventually start to mimick them, like you did with your parents when you were young, so eventually, the couple starts to smile in the same way or make the exact same faces and phrases. I thought that a mixture of cool and scary and have noticed I do the same with my mates. It’s all good if you like the way they talk, not so much when they say “like” too often.
Thanks Nicola! I unconsciously water my slang down too, I know that cause when I feel really comfortable with someone I slip into my Aussie accent again and then have to translate myself. The wonders of English!
Yeah Eternal Voyageur, I’ve had people think I’m mocking them but instead I just absorb their accent in under 10 minutes. Embarrassing at that point for sure.
I’m an empath, and I absorb accents all the time. Sometimes it’s cool (who doesn’t want a nice sexy foreign accent ?) and sometimes embarrassing. I’m always surprised when I hear myself.
Gosh, I know, right?! I’m Scottish and lived in California for a year, and by the end of it everyone was telling me I didn’t sound Scottish. It’s definitely easier to water it down for them than to repeat yourself over and over!
I also just returned from another 4-month stint and my friends keep pulling me up for saying “bangs” and “catching shit” and “huh”. I guess we’ll just have to deal with it =)
Also, I’m here because I enjoyed your list addicts post – good job!
Came to visit ya from your entry on secret society of list addicts.
I feel you with the accents…its very weird but I adapt to HOW people talk. A lot of my friends speak differently, not particularly accents but just their way of saying things, tone, pitch, etc. and people have noticed that I will REALLY start mimicking them. It’s very weird b/c I do it almost subconsciously but when I do notice, it’s almost hard to stop!
I’m always asked where I’m from even though I live in NZ and have all my life.. I really have no accent but I think I have good pronunciation. That’s my theory ;-P
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